V. I. Lenin

Letter Over the Publication of “Leaflet on the Capture of Riga”{1}

Written:Written after August 22 (September 4), 1917Published:First published in 1962 in Vol. 34 of the Fifth Russian edition of theCollected Works.

      Printed from a typewritten copy.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1977,

      Moscow,Volume 41,

      pages443.2-446.1.Translated:Yuri SdobnikovTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaCopyleft:V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marxists.org)
      © 2004

      Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the
      terms of theGNU Free Documentation License.

Thisleaflet cannot, of course, be published legally, but
everything must be done to have it published illegally. It would be
extremely stupid of us to jeopardise our legal newspapers (which are so
terribly important for us, and which it has taken such a great effort to
keep going) and fail to do what we had managed to do in 1912–14: to use
our legal possibilities. We should neither print the article (leaflet)
legally nor spoil it by rewriting it for legal publication.

Itwould be not only stupid but base on our part toconfineourselves to the legal word, when its freedom has so drastically been
curtailed by the government and is being further curtailed from day to day.

Iam aware that the sluggishness of our Bolsheviks isgreat and that it will take a great deal of effort to secure the
publication of illegal leaflets. But I shall go on insisting because those
are the demands of life, the demands of the movement.

Wemust issue illegally free leaflets and handbills which are not
curtailed and which speak out at the top of their voice. They should be
signed: “A group of persecuted Bolsheviks”. We can confine ourselves to
that signature or add below in small type: “The group of persecuted
Bolsheviks consists of those Bolsheviks whom the government’s persecution
has forced to work illegally.” Or: “The group of persecuted Bolsheviks
consists of Bolsheviks whom the government’s persecution and withdrawal of
press freedom have forced to publish free leaflets illegally, and to act
outside the framework of the legal Bolshevik Party.”

LEAFLET ON THE CAPTURE OF RIGA

Workers,soldiers and all working people!Theenemy troops have taken Riga. We have suffered
   another heavy defeat. The incredible calamities inflicted on the people by
   the war are being aggravated and dragged out.Whyis the war being dragged out? The reason is still a
   division of the spoils between the capitalist brigands, the point at issue
   is still whether the German capitalist predators will retain Belgium,
   Serbia, Poland, Riga, etc., whether the British capitalist

   p a ors [predators]

   will retain Baghdad and the German colonies they have seized, whether the
   Russian capitalist predators will retain Armenia, etc. The Kerensky
   government, with the participation and support of the Mensheviks and the
   S.R.s, has been brazenly cheating the people, lulling them with empty talk
   about their desire for peace, talk which is not binding in any way, while
   actually dragging out the predatory war, and refusing to publish the secret
   treaties which the tsar concluded with the British and French capitalists
   for the enrichment of the Russian capitalists who had been promised
   Constantinople, Galicia and Armenia.Evenunder the Republic, the Russian people are shedding
   their blood for the fulfilment of the secret treaties, the predatory
   treaties between the capitalists.Formonths, the “republicans”, Kerensky, Skobelev,
   Chernov & Co., have been cheating the Russian workers and peasants,
   instead of abrogating the secret predatory treaties, instead of offering
   precise, clear-cut and fair peace terms to all the belligerent nations.Kerenskytogether with the Mensheviks and the S.R.s has
   cheated the people. Only a workers’ government can save the country, and
   safeguard it from the losses of the war and the plunder of the capitalist
   marauders.Inconnection with the Riga defeat, the bourgeoisie is
   already anticipating the introduction of new harsh laws and strict
   disciplinary measures against soldiers, workers and peasants. Already the
   peasants are being deprived of their grain, while, through the blocking of
   workers’ control, the capitalists are allowed to retain their outrageously
   high profits and to safeguard their sacrosanct “commercial secrets”,
   which shield the bankers and millionaires from exposure.Meanwhile,the Mensheviks and the S.R.s, disgracefully
   crawling to the bourgeoisie, continue to give it their support and shout
   about the need to “leave off” “all party strife”, which means leaving
   full power in the hands of the capitalists, and the country’s continued
   plunder by them, and leaving them the “freedom” to protract the war....Tensand hundreds of thousands of people have died in the
   offensive, which the Kerensky, Menshevik, and S.R. government started in
   June. Tens and hundreds of thousands will die in the protracted war, so
   long as the people continue to tolerate such a government.Onlya workers’ government can save the country. It alone
   will not cheat the people, but will immediately offer to all countries
   precise, clear-cut and fair peace terms.Thebourgeoisie has been trying to intimidate the people
   and create a panic, in an effort to get the ignorant people to believe that
   peace cannot be offered right away, as this would mean “losing Riga” and
   so on. That is cheating the people.Evenif peace were to be negotiated by the governments,
   i.e., the governments safeguarding the sacred rights of the capitalists to
   their plundered wealth and seizures of foreign lands (annexations), even
   then the offer of peace would not mean abandonment of Riga. Riga is the
   booty of the German capitalist brigands. Armenia is the booty of the
   Russian capitalist brigands. When brigands negotiate on peace they either
   each keep their own booty or swap pieces of it. That is how all wars have
   ended and will end, so long as power remains in the hands of the
   capitalists.Butwe speak of aworkers’ government which
   alone can offer just peace terms right away, and this has been stated
   hundreds of times by workers and peasants throughout Russia in their
   countless man dates and resolutions. These terms are: peace without
   annexations, i.e., without the seizure of foreign lands. This means:
   neither the Germans nor the Russians will be able forcibly, without the
   voluntary consent of the Poles, to integrate Poland or the Latvian
   Territory; neither the Turks nor the Russians will be able to seize
   Armenia, and so on.Thesejust peace terms will at once be offered by a
   workers’ government to all the belligerent countries without
   exception. Until this has been done, until precise, clear-cut, formal
   proposals of peace have been made, until there has been an overthrow of the
   total power of the marauding capitalists, who are making hundreds of
   millions on war contracts, and so long as the secret predatory treaties
   remain intact—all talk of peace comes to nothing but gross and utterly
   shameless deception of the people.Allthe capitalist governments, including the Kerensky,
   S. R. and Menshevik government, have been practising this deceptionof the people. They have all been mouthing phrases of peace, which are not
   binding in any way, no one has been offering any precise peace terms, no
   one has abrogated the secret treaties, and in fact everyone has continued
   to drag out the criminal predatory war over the capitalists’ profits, which
   is mining the peoples.Downwith the war! Down with the Kerensky, Menshevik and
   S.R. government, which is cheating the people, protracting the war,
   safeguarding the predatory interests of the capitalists, putting off the
   elections to the Constituent Assembly!Onlya workers’ government supported by the poor peasants
   will offer peace, putting an end to the capitalist plunder, and give the
   working people bread and freedom. Let every worker and soldier explain to
   the people the need to overthrow the Kerensky government and set up a
   workers’ government.

Workers,soldiers and all working people!

Theenemy troops have taken Riga. We have suffered
   another heavy defeat. The incredible calamities inflicted on the people by
   the war are being aggravated and dragged out.

Whyis the war being dragged out? The reason is still a
   division of the spoils between the capitalist brigands, the point at issue
   is still whether the German capitalist predators will retain Belgium,
   Serbia, Poland, Riga, etc., whether the British capitalist

   p a ors [predators]

   will retain Baghdad and the German colonies they have seized, whether the
   Russian capitalist predators will retain Armenia, etc. The Kerensky
   government, with the participation and support of the Mensheviks and the
   S.R.s, has been brazenly cheating the people, lulling them with empty talk
   about their desire for peace, talk which is not binding in any way, while
   actually dragging out the predatory war, and refusing to publish the secret
   treaties which the tsar concluded with the British and French capitalists
   for the enrichment of the Russian capitalists who had been promised
   Constantinople, Galicia and Armenia.

Evenunder the Republic, the Russian people are shedding
   their blood for the fulfilment of the secret treaties, the predatory
   treaties between the capitalists.

Formonths, the “republicans”, Kerensky, Skobelev,
   Chernov & Co., have been cheating the Russian workers and peasants,
   instead of abrogating the secret predatory treaties, instead of offering
   precise, clear-cut and fair peace terms to all the belligerent nations.

Kerenskytogether with the Mensheviks and the S.R.s has
   cheated the people. Only a workers’ government can save the country, and
   safeguard it from the losses of the war and the plunder of the capitalist
   marauders.

Inconnection with the Riga defeat, the bourgeoisie is
   already anticipating the introduction of new harsh laws and strict
   disciplinary measures against soldiers, workers and peasants. Already the
   peasants are being deprived of their grain, while, through the blocking of
   workers’ control, the capitalists are allowed to retain their outrageously
   high profits and to safeguard their sacrosanct “commercial secrets”,
   which shield the bankers and millionaires from exposure.

Meanwhile,the Mensheviks and the S.R.s, disgracefully
   crawling to the bourgeoisie, continue to give it their support and shout
   about the need to “leave off” “all party strife”, which means leaving
   full power in the hands of the capitalists, and the country’s continued
   plunder by them, and leaving them the “freedom” to protract the war....

Tensand hundreds of thousands of people have died in the
   offensive, which the Kerensky, Menshevik, and S.R. government started in
   June. Tens and hundreds of thousands will die in the protracted war, so
   long as the people continue to tolerate such a government.

Onlya workers’ government can save the country. It alone
   will not cheat the people, but will immediately offer to all countries
   precise, clear-cut and fair peace terms.

Thebourgeoisie has been trying to intimidate the people
   and create a panic, in an effort to get the ignorant people to believe that
   peace cannot be offered right away, as this would mean “losing Riga” and
   so on. That is cheating the people.

Evenif peace were to be negotiated by the governments,
   i.e., the governments safeguarding the sacred rights of the capitalists to
   their plundered wealth and seizures of foreign lands (annexations), even
   then the offer of peace would not mean abandonment of Riga. Riga is the
   booty of the German capitalist brigands. Armenia is the booty of the
   Russian capitalist brigands. When brigands negotiate on peace they either
   each keep their own booty or swap pieces of it. That is how all wars have
   ended and will end, so long as power remains in the hands of the
   capitalists.

Butwe speak of aworkers’ government which
   alone can offer just peace terms right away, and this has been stated
   hundreds of times by workers and peasants throughout Russia in their
   countless man dates and resolutions. These terms are: peace without
   annexations, i.e., without the seizure of foreign lands. This means:
   neither the Germans nor the Russians will be able forcibly, without the
   voluntary consent of the Poles, to integrate Poland or the Latvian
   Territory; neither the Turks nor the Russians will be able to seize
   Armenia, and so on.

Thesejust peace terms will at once be offered by a
   workers’ government to all the belligerent countries without
   exception. Until this has been done, until precise, clear-cut, formal
   proposals of peace have been made, until there has been an overthrow of the
   total power of the marauding capitalists, who are making hundreds of
   millions on war contracts, and so long as the secret predatory treaties
   remain intact—all talk of peace comes to nothing but gross and utterly
   shameless deception of the people.

Allthe capitalist governments, including the Kerensky,
   S. R. and Menshevik government, have been practising this deceptionof the people. They have all been mouthing phrases of peace, which are not
   binding in any way, no one has been offering any precise peace terms, no
   one has abrogated the secret treaties, and in fact everyone has continued
   to drag out the criminal predatory war over the capitalists’ profits, which
   is mining the peoples.

Downwith the war! Down with the Kerensky, Menshevik and
   S.R. government, which is cheating the people, protracting the war,
   safeguarding the predatory interests of the capitalists, putting off the
   elections to the Constituent Assembly!

Onlya workers’ government supported by the poor peasants
   will offer peace, putting an end to the capitalist plunder, and give the
   working people bread and freedom. Let every worker and soldier explain to
   the people the need to overthrow the Kerensky government and set up a
   workers’ government.

{1}The letter was written after the text of the leaflet, and judging by
its content was intended for the Party Central Committee, The leaflet was
not published. Lenin may have been the author of the leaflet.

p. 443